TV News

'American Horror Story' Enlists James Cromwell to Face Off Against Jessica Lange

By:
Brian Marder

May 07, 2012 | 12:23pm EDT

Oscar/Emmy nominee James Cromwell has joined the ever growing and somewhat odd list of actors slated for roles on American Horror Story's second season on FX.

The veteran actor — Oscar-nominated for the movie Babe; Emmy-nominated for HBO's Six Feet Under, alongside AHS Season 1 star Frances Conroy — will play Dr. Arden, whose boss at a mental hospital is played by returning actress Jessica Lange. Let's just say that their relationship is not going to be friendly.

The Cromwell casting is another in a long line of bits and pieces of information that are helping to give — or tease — an idea of what to expect when next season finally premieres on FX in October.

What else have we learned? Aside from a flurry of big-name hirings (including Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Chloe Sevigny) and relative unknowns being cast in big roles (including French actress Lizzie Brochere), co-creator Ryan Murphy famously and controversially revealed that AHS would henceforth be an anthology series with a new "haunting" every season. There will be no real continuity and, for the most part, a revolving door of cast members (and those who return will do so as different characters).